Can a dev please help me?

I think you'll find that  find that Brad has already answered that question here. The answer is no. The game is inspired by Master of Magic not Total War. There is a whole thread flogging this issue. It certainly isn't going to happen in the near term.

I need an official answer. Are they working on delivering what's on the box, or not?  I think it's a fair question.

Thread is stupid.

You question is valid, but the answer is no. I wouldn't really expect more answers than the one already linked.

I think this is one of those guys wanting an "official" answer so he can ride off to the "better business bureau" or something like that and file some bullshit complaint?

Just saying.....his persisting in getting the answer he wants has me suspicious is all......   

Well, the answer he wants is probably 'yes.'  Why he wants an answer from someone more 'official' than the CEO of Stardock is beyond me.

But I do agree that MOCKUP ART should not have been put on the box.  It's misleading.

Yes, people who want what's pictured on the box itself are asking far too much.

Indeed. If there's a CGI rendered Superman picture on the box but there's only a plastic action figure inside, that's such a total ripoff.

Seriously - when has box art ever been more than loosely related to the game inside?  Even 8 bit computer/console titles often had mockup pictures on the box...

And i think its just deliberate provocation.

I call for a vote of no confidence in metalfacekevin's thread topic.     <- To emulate Natalie Portman's facial expressions.

Oh joy. Yet another boxartgate thread.

Ummm, mock-up art has never really been a standby of anything other than promotion/previews in the PC games industry.  Doctored photos enhancing the textures, colour enhancement, and careful setup of in-game situations, however, is common.  I think that's what you're mistaking for mock-ups.  A mock-up is something created in Photoshop as a 'prototypical' interface; what the developer envisions a game to eventually be.  It's not any more functional or interactive than a LOLCAT.jpg.

Why does everyone get upset about my wanting a company to deliver a product as it was advertised?  Is it too much to ask for an official answer?  I really think it is a big problem when a company advertises a product and does not deliver on the advertisement.  I feel I deserve an honest answer.  If I see something on the box, I want to know if the product will be able to perform as shown.  It's honest-business 101.  Give me a DIRECT answer, and I'll stop asking the question.  The fact that Stardock completely ignores this question after a huge thread is worrying.  If Stardock wants to make up for the disastrous launch of this game, they can start by being honest with the very same people who trusted them with their hard-earned money.  Honest, not only when it suits them for publicity purposes, but also when one of their customers feels deceived.  A simple yes or no answer would suffice.  Stardock knows plenty of players want a direct answer to this, but they ignore the question.  Why?  Just put the issue to rest already so we can all move on.  I want a direct answer from an official source.  The quote linked does not answer my question.  I want to know if Stardock plans on making battles such as the one pictured on the box possible in Elemental.  It's not a crazy request.

I had a battle with over 100 soldiers and a dragon, and a wizard on my side vs about 80 of the same on the other, that was pretty massive, how massive do you want?

I think somebody needs to learn that when it comes to marketing a game (or anything else) the only guaranteed truth is "A thing by this name exists."  I mean really, you're getting uptight about box art?  Why don't you go ride one of the game companies that "advertises" their games using only massive CGI clips which have absolutely NO resemblance at all to the actual gameplay?  (e.g. Dragon Age Origins)  This is a bloody picture on a box.  At least stardock didn't release something that looked like a 30 second clip from a high budget movie and say "This is our game! You Buy Now!!"

While the Sacred Ashes trailer is freaking amazing and obviously in no way indicative of the level of graphics in Dragon Age, it accurately represents the epic feel of the final game (granted I only started playing at 1.04 so I can't talk to the state on release).

The box art for Elemental's "epic battles" is the antithesis of every aspect of this game.  No part of it feels heroic, massive, epic or whatever other superlative you wish to attach.

Sacred Ashes is akin to showing a top notch AAA quality trailer for a very solid, albeit derivative action flick.  Elemental is showing shots from a AAA baseball game then delivering a management sim.  Sure it's great for some people, but it bears almost nothing to what was promised

Oh come on, they can say it uses art assets from the game, which it does.  You have no case and this is spiteful beyond belief.

I'd put it down to - the cover box art is cover box art and meant to give an artists impression of what the game is about. 

The screen shots are on the back of the box - depicting actual game play.

I personally play many many games where the cover art is not possible in the game what many movies where the dvd cover doesn't actually happen.  

Look to the screen shots for what you can actually do in the game.  it's why they are there.  The confusion seems to be that the style of the cover art was so similar to the style of the game play and that was probably the reason why so many people got confused by it.

I can't believe some of you are shredding the OP for asking a perfectly legitimate question. I found out about Elemental after reading a RPS article on it which had a picture of a huge dragon, lightning all over the place and hundreds of soldiers moving in to attack. I even pre-ordered the game because of that screenshot. Let me repeat: SCREENSHOT. I can take the flopped launch. I can take the half-finished state of the game. What is REALLY miffing me is how, apparently, there will be no tactical battles as those printed on the back of the box and seen in alpha screenshots. This kind of bait-and-switch is a thousand times worse than the bait-and-switch that Brad was worrying about regarding content changes due to patches/expansions.

I suppose you also call for a manager every time your burger doesn't look like the picture at McDonald's?  How about when the novel you pick up doesn't have pictures inside to match the ones on the outside? WTF false advertisement!!!!

It was a legitimate question right up until it was answered in the first response.

Any of you bashing the OP are drinking the kool aid in excess. He has every right to expect whats on the box to be in the game. The developers are perfectly capable of defending themselves usually with more well though out responses. However, this issue really can not be defended. The game is completely incapable of recreating what you see in that screen shot. There should have been a decision maker with some foresight to say lets use screen shots that actually represent the game. Sadly in 1.08 those screen shots would be battles between summoned minions and a few forward observers because metal no longer exists.

Those of you that tout marketing magic or "I play plenty of games with something like this"; you need only turn your copy of Civ V over. One screen shot of Ramses diplomacy screen. I saw that in my very first game. Second screen is a generic city top down view. There is a difference between AAA and a pretender. As much as I want to support Stardock this game is just lacking in so many areas.

Also for another fun one check your emails for the other marketing genius move of "free expansions". This was already beaten to death in another thread.

Am I missing something?  I just pulled out my box to take a look at the art, as someone mentioned that the screen shots were what was deceptive, not just the front art.  I can't even find an epic battle and I have been unable to find the image mentioned online. Can someone please link it or point me at it?

This is why cereal boxes always have the words "Serving suggestion" next to whatever image of the cereal they use to represent the product.  You're not getting fruit and milk and a bowl and a spoon and orange juice and some athlete or anything else that's on the box; just cereal.  Stardock should put those words on all their game boxes from now on:  Serving suggestion.  That way they can claim it's possible to recreate the image using the game, but the game won't necessarily provide that exact experience without you adding the bowl and spoon and milk.

Maybe if we use hammer and nail!

Brad Wardell (a.k.a Frogboy) CEO of Stardock said, and I quote, "Yea, we're not going for epic tactical battles. MOM is our influence, not total war.".

MoM is a game with a maximum of 9 groups of units per side. Total War is a game with a few buttloads more units per side. Therefore, the statement that the company is not going for epic tactical battles, combined with the statement that MoM is their influence as opposed to Total War in the context of maximum units in tactical combat, would to any reasonable person be a DIRECT answer to that question.

Please now accept the situation, and stop asking the question as promised.